Fender Bender.. Looking for opinions

I guess i’ll start off by saying this truck has a ridiculous amount of sentimental value to myself. I’ve had it my entire adult life, it was my dads and have really tried to maintain it well. With that said, my lovely wife backed up square into it yesterday.. leaving a decent amount of damage to the rear driver quarter panel. I guess i have two questions, is it worth fixing based on the quote below, and is this an exorbitant amount for the damage? (located in alaska, and good work is hard to find)

 

I love my truck like you do yours, it was my dads from new and I bought it from him when he got his new one. That being said that would drive me nuts to look at. Get it fixed or see if you can source a 8P1 bed side from a yard and swap it yourself. Not sure why you need a gas door as you can put the current one in the new panel with rivets.

 

Body work is crazy anymore, we deal with quite a few shops at work. I had my wife’s 4 runner hood prepped and painted and at a discount paid $600. It was already primed from Toyota.

 

That’s unbelievable… it’s pretty frustrating

 

My '20 looks worse than that just from off-roading. It's a truck, it's gonna get busted up if you use it as a truck. Does the interior keep you warm and cool, keep the rain off you, and does the drivetrain get you where you need to go?

Unless you've got a new girlfriend to impress, who cares? It's a utility truck sold to people who buy utility vehicles. Drive it and don't worry about a few dinged panels.

 

I agree and it wasn’t even metallic. Her truck is 040 super white haha.

 

The paint being cracked is what got you.
The bigger dent could be fixed PDR fairly easy.
But the crack mean it needs paint. Paint is expensive.

I’d leave it alone. But I also have no sentimental attachment to my truck.
I just drive my truck. I don’t think much about it.

 

I get your point and agree to an extent but I’m betting the OP is like me and no matter how many times he reads and thinks about what you wrote it won’t matter. Mainly because he didn’t do it, and takes pride with it being in the shape it’s in.

 

100%.. i wish it was just a utility truck to me.. but like you it was my dads as well. i would save soooo much money if i could just write it off lol

i absolutely appreciate his point though..

 

Try searching for a bedside that’s already the right color. As long as it’s in good shape with shipping you may come out ahead. They just bolt on versus having to spot weld and epoxy back together. The only thing that would kill it is your location.

 

Not outrageous. A few years ago mine was 3500-4000 and that was for the bedside plus a new bed inner...tree limb fell on it. I know that wasn't a gouge as my brother in law's shop did the job.

 

might be able to fix it with PDR
And respray blend or touch up area

Many options. Also
-convert to flatbed
-slap on a cheap used bedside

high clearance bumper with tree savers would protect against that.
If I had a nickel for every time someone randomly smacked into my stock bumper in a parking lot leaving dents when I wasn’t there.

 

Lol, I hear ya. I have one big dent in my truck that wasn't my fault. My GF opened the door of her car in the driveway into the side of the passenger door on my truck and every time I walk by and see it I have to remind myself it's just a truck. Just a truck kairo. Just a truck.

I'm happy to beat the shit out of my vehicle if it's my doing. If someone else damages it, yah, I get it. It's shitty.

 

Homeboy literally flexing on us in Alaska with the mountain backround in his dent.

 

is that really AK

 

Yeah his first post says about the lack of good body shops in Alaska.

 

Your truck is obviously in good shape and, as you have said, has great sentimental value.

I would encourage you to fix the truck. I don't think that the quote is outrageous - it's about 6 months of car payments.

There's another factor to consider and that is how it affects your wife. Should you choose not to fix it it will be a reminder to her of a mistake made and of how it disappointed you when it occurred. A relationship is far too important to be possibly impacted by a mistaken impact. IMHO

 

Sharp rig!
Super clean man looks like a keeper to me.
I would probably have it fixed!

 

Let them fix it. Sentimental value is important here and the damage is repairable. I would suggest having them reshoot the whole panel instead of spot painting the damaged area. Your truck has older paint and an exact match can sometimes be a problem. Nice truck to hold on to.